Psychological Thriller is the best type of literature. Here’s why.

This is an opinion.

Let’s begin with a question. What is a story ? There are multiple answers to this. And there should be. Vanessa Chase described it as “A narration of an incident or a series of events or an example of these that is or may be narrated, and is designed to interest, amuse, or instruct the reader or hearer.”

It’s not particularly wrong, but according to me, it misses the most important part, human. It doesn’t mean that every story should have human in it, it refers to the humane interactions that happen all around us, with fellow humans, with other organisms and between organisms. Additionally, when inanimate objects are imagined to be in a story as the centerpiece, that’s called personification, again, that means it acts like human, and humans are humane.

According to me, it’s about the interactions, bringing the most real emotions and practices to the reader. So, how is Psychological thriller the best type of literature you ask ? Let’s get into it.

What is Psychological Thriller ? According to Wikipedia, it’s a genre combining psychological fiction and narrating it in a thrilling manner. That’s what you get after you break the words, but it’s more, and I think there’s one very important word which has no equal, and should have been used. It’s terrifying. No matter which book/story you read, if it’s a GOOD Psychological thriller, it’ll terrify your core and move you. Not necessarily in a thrilling way. Let’s take The Strange Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It’s one of the finest examples of Psychological thriller. If you haven’t read it, do read it. It looks like a thriller in the start, but only towards the end does it show it’s true nature. Yes, it is also a thriller, but I am referring to the end, which is indeed very, very terrifying. How can a human do this ? This very nature of the book distinguishes itself from all the others. And that’s what distinguishes the other psychological thrillers.

Now, why is it the best type of literature ? It brings you the rawest emotions and forms people can take. It really illuminates you of the human nature, and that’s what, in my opinion, the purest form of storytelling should do. It does not have to be horrifying to be terrifying. It could be about the most mundane of things like coping with pollution. How that affects the character’s behavior and psychology, how he/she copes with it and I would read this one the moment I get my hands on it. Can another genre convey the same emotion ? Yes, absolutely, every piece of literature tries to do the same. But, it’s way more organic in Psychological thrillers than any other genre.

This should not be viewed as something like I hate other genres. Or no other genre can be good at storytelling. In my opinion, Mark Twain and O. Henry, while being as far as possible from this genre, are the best ‘storytellers’. Although I would take the same experiences from Oscar Wilde or Edgar Allan Poe. At the end, that’s just what literature is all about, new experiences and new friends that never happened.

I hope you enjoyed reading my take on the topic !